Chennai, Jul 18 (IANS): Tamil Nadu health minister Ma Subramanian has said that preference in vaccination will be given to natives of pilgrimage towns of the state. He said that Tiruvannamalai, Nagore, Velnakanni, and Rameshwaram towns have been identified for this purpose.

The state health minister was speaking after inaugurating a vaccination camp at St Xavier's School, Sidapet in Chennai on Sunday.

The minister said that by July end the vaccination of these four pilgrimage towns will be completed. Ma Subramanian said that the Christian community including the employees of the Church in the locality would be fully vaccinated as several people from other districts frequent the Church on a pilgrimage.

The state health minister lashed out at the AIADMK government and said that the then government did not take any initiative to launch the pneumococcal vaccine in the state. He said that the union government had introduced this vaccine under the National Vaccination Programme two years ago but the AIADMK government did not take any initiative to launch it in the state.

Minister said, "These vaccines prevent pneumonia and brain fever in children and experts have said that three doses of these vaccines should be given to children to prevent these diseases."

Ma Subramanian said that the DMK government of Tamil Nadu has launched the drive for pneumococcal vaccine now and that the drive would cover the entire pediatric population of the state who are under five years of age.

The minister charged the former chief minister of the state, Edappadi K Palaniswami for his statement that the state has received 30 lakh doses of the vaccines even as only 3 lakh doses have been received.

Subramanian also called upon the people to be on guard on false messages being circulated on social media and called upon them to rely on information provided by the government time and again.

The health minister also said that the state is fully prepared for a third wave if it arrives and said that the state has a capacity of 10,000 beds. He said that there was no need for any panic.

He also said that the third wave affecting children is not proven and added that even the doctors of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have also said that.